Power of Labeling

Supporting Lectures:

• Social Process
• White-Collar Crime
• Classical Criminology
• Positive Criminology

The discussion assignment provides a forum for discussing relevant topics for this week on the basis of the course competencies covered.

For this assignment, make sure you post your initial response to the Discussion Area by the due date assigned.

To support your work, use your course and text readings and also use the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ initial postings. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Cite sources in your responses to other classmates. Complete your participation for this assignment by the end of the week.

This week’s discussion will examine the power of labeling, as well as the differences between white-collar and street crime.

• Are labels ever desirable? What non-criminal labels might impact a person’s likelihood to commit crime?
• Does labeling result from behavior or personal qualities? What might this have to do with immigration policies?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of sociological theories, such as differential association, anomie, and strain, in their ability to explain blue-collar and white-collar crimes? Do these theories better explain blue-collar crimes than white-collar crimes? Why?
• It has been suggested that white-collar crimes are motivated by “classical” factors, while street crimes are primarily “positive” in nature. Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.